Tuesday, September 6, 2016

Ease into School: Help Your Child Form their Team with 10 Simple Questions

By: Jamie Perillo, LPC

It’s that time of year again – to trade in the beach towels
for backpacks, lazy summer days for early morning alarms, and the comforts of
home and camp friends for new teachers, classmates, and schoolwork. This transition
is not easy for many kids. Help your child reduce their anxiety by “creating their
team” with a few simple questions.

By creating a “team” of supports
your child will feel comforted, confident, and in control. Here are a few
questions to help your child choose their team players:

1. Who are your helpers? If you need
help with schoolwork, finding something, or just need help who can you ask?
Then help them list the appropriate people – perhaps a teacher, principal,
nurse, lunch aid, para, or friend.

2. Who are your school work helpers?
If you don’t understand something who can you ask?

3. Who are your “fun” team members?
Who can you be silly with? (When it’s appropriate) Who can you ask to play
with?

4. Who are your lunch team members?
Who would you like to sit with if you can?

5. Who are your bus team members? If
there’s a problem on the bus who are your helpers?

6. If something doesn’t feel good,
who are your helpers? Or if your child has a specific medical condition such as
food allergies, asthma, or diabetes – who are their designated helpers?

7. Who are your funny friends? If you
need to laugh who can you find?

8. If you are having a difficult
feeling – feeling sad, missing mom or dad, worried, or angry or upset about
something who is on your team that can help? Perhaps a school social worker,
teacher, principal, para, or friend.

9. If someone in school is bugging
you who is on your team that can help?

10. When you are ready to kick off
your shoes at the end of the day, who on your team can dance, play, or relax
with you?

By asking these questions, and
helping your child form their team, you are empowering your child and building
the confidence they can handle issues as they arise by seeking the appropriate
help. This exercise reminds your child they are not alone – in fact they have a
whole team of support! Just as parents need that reminder, so do kids. Don’t
forget to remind your child they are the captain of their team and they can
hire and fire as they choose.

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About

Jamie Perillo is a licensed child and family therapist, speaker, parent educator,and founder of Inspired Families. She serves on the board of FAEN and as the Behavioral Specialist for Little Ivy Nursery School.
Jamie works with families in her private practice in Connecticut. She is dedicated to supporting and empowering families through her practice, Inspired Families, and workshops. She founded Inspired Families in order to inspire healthy, positive lifestyles and provide behavioral strategies, parenting techniques, and creative, fun engaging family activities.
As a Certified Yoga Instructor specializing in holistic yoga therapy Jamie uses her training to compliment traditional treatment modalities, provide stress management and overall empowerment. She has taught yoga workshops to pre-teens and teens for the YMCA’s Upward Bound Program, Strong Kids Campaign, and co-facilitated Sierra Bender's Boot Camp for Goddesses Teens at Omega Institute. Jamie has also taught college graduate students techniques on how to utilize yoga in schools.
Prior to her private practice Jamie served as an Intensive In-Home Therapist Village and supervised teams of Clinicians and Counselors.